Shot, Gun, Bangs
by bluebriefs
Summary: One-shot. A/O. Alex makes Olivia recount a dream.


_A/N: One of Alex Cabot's line is stolen from The X-Files' Dana Scully, circa Season 4. Also, apologies to Salt-N-Pepa for the title._

_Disclaimer: Characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I just make them chase each other in my head._

Alex Cabot grabbed the last piece of canoli from the box and took a bite. She looked over at her lunch date and decided that something was definitely up with Olivia Benson.

Alex swallowed the bite and set the rest of the canoli down. "Alright, out with it," she demanded.

"What makes you think I have something to share?" Olivia asked defensively.

The detective had been quietly ruminating and was in a faraway place in her mind when Alex called her out.

Alex spared her an "Oh, please" look. "Well, for starters, ever since we've been 'dating'," Alex put her fingers up in air quotes for emphasis, "you've never once not fought me for the last piece of dessert."

"I wasn't-- and what's with the bunny ears? Are we not," Olivia mimicked Alex with her hands, "'dating'?"

"It's all very clandestine, this whole cloak and dagger thing we do," the blonde sighed dramatically. "How long do you think before the rest of them figure it out?"

"Weren't you the one who said the make up sex after we yell at each other during work was worth keeping it a secret?" Olivia looked at her girlfriend and half leered at her.

Alex flushed. "You're changing the subject."

"You asked--"

"Okay. Fair enough. But you're not getting out of telling me why we're not wrestling over the best ganache-filled canolis I've ever had. And I will not be dissuaded with your come hither look either, detective." The lawyer leaned back into the couch with her iced latte, an expectant look on her face.

Olivia looked down on her linked fingers and started, "It's kinda hazy now, but I had this dream..."

"Oh, promise me this isn't leading to something really embarrassing."

"Do you want to hear it or not?" Olivia asked, miffed at being interrupted by a smart alec comment.

Alex smiled indulgently, a sign for Olivia to proceed.

"It was.. kinda bad, in a way. We were walking - Elliot was there with us - we were walking out of a bar and suddenly you... there were shots fired and you got hit." Olivia looked over to Alex, who was passively listening.

"And the next thing that happened," Olivia continued, "you were coming out of a dark SUV, and Elliot was like 'sonofabitch!' because apparently you were supposed to be dead. On account of being shot, you know. But then you weren't. You had to go into the Witness Protection Program because.. actually, I don't remember why. But you had to leave us. Leave me. And we were meeting so that you could tell me and El that. And that's essentially what happened, or thereabouts."

"So, did we... make out in front of Elliot when we said good bye?"

"No! Of course, I, that is, the me in the dream really wanted to grab ahold of you and not let go." Olivia heaved a sigh and ran a finger across her forehead, sweeping errant stands of hair out of her eyes.

Alex sipped her coffee and gave it some thought. "I could tell you that it's only a dream but that would be patronizing," she said as she uncrossed her legs and recrossed them.

Olivia nodded mutely. "I'll be fine. Besides, your being shot at wasn't what bothered me the most about it." She lifted her gaze and smiled impishly at the blonde who seemed to invade all her dreams; good ones and bad.

"Ohhhkay," Alex replied cautiously.

Olivia let her gaze linger on the woman sitting across the coffee table, wondering what it would be like if Alex really was taken away from her. That brought a painful constricting feeling to her chest. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of that thought.

It's stupid and it'll never happen like that, she said to herself.

"Anyway, you weren't really you, in this dream."

"Did I have red hair?" Alex said, perking up. "I'd always wanted to know what I'd look like as a redhead."

"Funny you should mention hair. You were still blonde but you had..." Olivia paused, for dramatic effect but also an uncertainty of the lawyer's reaction to what she was going to say. "Bangs," she finally said in a half-grimace.

"Bangs? Really now." Alex's mouth was agape in amusement but a hand unconsciously shot up to her hair, as if checking to make sure they were still all there.

"As god is my witness. I swear I was even looking at you funny in the dream. Because you were you, but not quite you."

"God, I haven't had bangs since... since second grade!"

Olivia smiled, thinking about an eight-year-old Alex Cabot pouting, with a fringe of blonde hair flopping over her forehead. "Having seen you with bangs in my dreams, I can honestly say they don't do anything for you."

"Good," Alex said as she stood up, "because I'm not planning on changing." She picked up the remainder of the canoli and walked over to Olivia.

The good detective watched as Alex came over and leaned down to give her a slow, sensuous kiss.

Pulling back just a little Alex said, "And I'm not going anywhere." She fed Olivia the half-eaten pastry and straightened up. "Except maybe to the restroom."


End file.
